Desegregation Flap Threatens Mardi Gras Tradition, Not Revelry

NEW ORLEANS — A burly, rock-jawed doorman stood guard behind the framed glass entrance leading to the Zulu grand ball and annual coronation of its Mardi Gras king and queen.

Sequinned nearly head to heel, women strutted across the red brick gateway of the New Orleans Convention Center like glistening peacocks, their hair pinned up tight, or dangling, or curled and crimped, while men donned an array of cummerbunds, head dresses and the required tuxedos.

The Zulu affair was part of a weekend of Carnival festivities, including endless parades, leading up to ``Fat Tuesday,`` the climax of the 10-day pre- Lenten revelry.

Unlike many other secret social clubs in this Queen City of the South, revelers didn`t need noble lineage to share in this annual season of aristocracy with Zulu.

``Individuals from Zulu come from all walks of life,`` said Roy Glapion, the group`s chairman. ``We don`t ask you how much money you make or who your mother and father is.``

But they do care about gender, Glapion admitted. Women are allowed into Mardi Gras festivities, but not into the club as members.

The question of club membership has intruded like an unwelcome guest into this year`s Mardi Gras celebration in the form of an anti-discrimination ordinance that threatens a 150-year New Orleans tradition.

The ordinance, adopted in December by the seven-member city council, prevents any discrimination by the 60 ``krewes`` like Zulu that parade during the Carnival season, showering trinkets on revelling throngs from atop elaborately decorated floats.

Are the clubs engaging in discrimination or simply honoring tradition?

New Orleanians aren`t entirely sure. In this cajun culinary capital, its natives relish the integration of seafood, rice, spices and sausage that can produce a sumptuous jambalaya. But when it comes to Mardi Gras, which continues to draw millions worldwide and $500 million to the city, many are content to leave their recipe for success alone.

``It ain`t broke, don`t fix it,`` said T.J. Picou Jr., a white member of Endymion, an integrated krewe. A carnival krewe member for 30 years, Picou called the ordinance ``foolishness.``

Proposed by Councilwoman Dorothy Mae Taylor, the ordinance requires krewes to accept members without regard to sex, color or religion. The ordinance also was intended to open up business opportunities said to exist behind the closed doors of the secret social clubs, to which many of the city`s most influential and powerful business leaders belong.

Picou disagreed. ``How many big deals were cut in a Mardi Gras organization? There ain`t none,`` he said.

Most secret old-line krewes detest the city government`s meddling, according to officials. Two of the most prestigious groups-the Knights of Momus and the Mystique Krewe of Comus-which are all-white and all-male, pulled out of this year`s parade in protest.

Whether they will choose to return is not known and the fate of the ordinance remains up in the air, according to city officials. It was considerably weakened on Feb. 6 when a maximum 5-month jail sentence was deleted, along with a provision that put the burden of proving non-

discrimination on the krewes.

``I think it`s a socio-economic issue,`` said Councilwoman Jacquelyn Clarkson, a chief opponent of the ordinance. ``And I think it`s out of the jurisdiction of the city council.``

A Times-Picayune poll published in February showed that more than 60 percent of residents, both black and white, want the ordinance rescinded.

Proponents of the legislation have maintained the secret carnival clubs must be held accountable for discriminatory practices because the city provides services during the parades, including police protection and cleanup. The krewes pay $100.25 for parade permits.

Zulu, of which the legendary Louis Armstrong was a member, is prepared to accept women if the ordinance stands, Glapion said.

``When public funds and public facilities are used, these organizations should not discriminate,`` Glapion said. ``Slavery was a tradition. Lynching was a tradition. When a tradition is wrong, it has to be changed.``

Krewes originated in an unspoken separate-but-equal tradition of Mardi Gras, which was introduced by French colonists in the early 1700s. There are also clubs for females and gays.

Most carnival clubs are segregated in some way. The most restrictive organizations are those that have been around the longest, experts say. They usually comprise only white males. Family members and other close friends must be invited to join.

Many New Orleanians believe Taylor has mayoral aspirations and launched the ordinance to further her career. She has been dubbed the ``Grinch that stole Mardi Gras`` on posters and T-shirts. Taylor`s aides said she would not comment further on the issue until a blue ribbon committee studying the ordinance makes its recommendation`s to the city council.

Despite its uncertain start this season, Mardi Gras appears to have taken place without a hitch. Some float riders had feared violence would spill into the streets because of racial tensions stemming from the controversy.

But in the waning days of the festival, city officials reported no major incidents in the New Orleans parish, which includes the famous French Quarter and hosts most of the festive debauchery.

Concerns about a potential lull in tourism turned out to be groundless, as hotels reported an occupancy rate of more than 90 percent, city officials said.